Conor McGregor is regarded as one of the biggest stars ever in MMA and combat sports. The Irishman boasts a professional MMA record of 22 wins and six losses. He’s been beaten twice before entering the UFC and four times in his career in the division.
McGregor’s first MMA defeat came via first-round submission (kneebar) against Artemij Sitenkov in a featherweight bout at Cage of Truth 3 on June 28, 2008.
The second loss of McGregor’s MMA career came by way of first-round submission (arm-triangle choke) against Joseph Duffy. It happened in a lightweight bout at Cage Warriors 39: The Uprising on November 27, 2010.
Conor McGregor subsequently went on an unbeaten run that saw him work his way into the UFC and dominate his foes en route to winning featherweight gold. ‘The Notorious’ beat MMA legend Jose Aldo to win the undisputed UFC featherweight title in December 2015.
However, in his very next fight, McGregor was handed the first defeat of his UFC career and third MMA loss overall. The then-featherweight kingpin moved up to challenge the then-UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos for the latter’s title at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016.
RDA withdrew from their fight due to an injury and was replaced by Nate Diaz. The short-notice matchup was contested at welterweight rather than lightweight.
Diaz stopped McGregor via second-round submission (rear-naked choke), becoming the first fighter to beat the Irishman in the UFC.
Regardless, ‘The Notorious’ avenged that loss and went on to secure the UFC lightweight title. He was eventually defeated yet again, though.
McGregor lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov via fourth-round submission (neck crank) in their lightweight title matchup at UFC 229 on October 6, 2018.
McGregor also suffered a pair of losses to Dustin Poirier, a fighter he’d previously beaten. ‘The Notorious’ lost their rematch via second-round TKO (punches) at UFC 257 on January 24, 2021.
He then lost their trilogy fight via first-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) after hurting his leg at UFC 264 on July 10, 2021. Both aforesaid matchups were lightweight bouts.
Conor McGregor looks to rebound from the first losing streak of his MMA career
Conor McGregor is on a two-fight losing streak, courtesy of his aforementioned losses against Poirier. This marks the first losing streak of McGregor’s MMA career.
Presently, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion is coaching the TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) 31 season against Michael Chandler.
At the end of TUF 31, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are expected to fight one another inside the octagon, likely in September.
McGregor has hinted at the fight possibly transpiring at welterweight. However, neither the weight nor the date for their potential fight has been officially announced.
The consensus is that the Chandler matchup is a crossroads fight for McGregor. A win over ‘Iron’ could help the Irishman potentially re-enter the title picture at lightweight/welterweight, whereas a loss might severely dent his image as an elite fighter.